NecroTricks Tournament
by Dexter Raladin
Summary: Dexter and Shamrock have just passed the NecroCombat Simulator Test, and have arrived at the Sunshine Archipelago. They're excited to finally join in on the battles, however, their childishness and immaturity blind them from the true darkness within the stadium.. And in the world around them. (Rated T for some Suggestive Material, Violent Imagery, and Disturbing Themes)
1. Prelude

A planet that is obsessed with bloodshed, and warfare. That's what this planet is.  
Only the most skilled and trained can pass the test. The NecroTricks Ambush Simulator. It would chuck you into a binary environment, and recreate the most fearful of demonic spirits through holographic technology. If one had trained hard enough, or were just born with the natural talent to defeat all of the opponents, they could be viable to become a NecroCombatant. NecroCombatants are the modern gladiators in this sick and cruel world. They will fight each other until fatigue in NecroCombats for thrills, chills, and entertainment for the audience. However, these battles could get out of hand, and even result in lethal circumstances. Despite this, many children still pass the simulation test, and achieve awards as full-fledged NecroCombatants.

NecroCombatants personalize their fighting styles, by learning how to use spells or gizmos to control small pieces of elements, or they can use a gargantuan assortment of weapons. Whatever they do, they have to make sure it matches up with their Natural Ability, a summarization of their Power, Endurance, Agility, and Magic. There are many basic categories: Offensive, Defensive, Quick, Wizard, Tank, Swift-Hitter, and Dodge-n-Take.

Friends and Foes gather in the stadium, side-by-side, to watch these passionate fighters drip every last drop of sweat and blood into the arena's soil.


	2. Arc 1: Trouble in Tropicoco Town!

The ocean's waves were being lightly tossed around by the wind, the sea salt smell in the air prominent, and the palm trees swaying. Small, brightly-colored birds flapped around, landing on branches and nests, like pieces of a broken rainbow. A boy with wavy, fluffy, black locks removed his jet-black helmet, and wiped the sweat off of his forehead with his pale arm. His locks were whipped around as he stretched out and basked in the summer-like sunlight. A fountain in the middle of the marble-tiled plaza spurted water up, dousing the boy and his little brother in an invisible mist. The little brother pet his blonde hair to get the droplets out, and perused his surroundings with his emerald irises. He dusted off his pink tunic and his little fairy wings twitched, like a rabbit's nose. His older brother's ruby eyes opened, and his attention was immediately captured by a cream and cinnamon tanuki, which scurried into the bushes.

The young brother fixed his clover barrette, and fluttered onto his brothers back. He playfully looped his big brother's hair, and murmured, "This place is so exotic and impressive! But even more impressive that we just beat the NecroTricks Ambush Simulator!"

"Yeah! That means.. It's official! We're allowed to battle against tons of cool foes, in front of a raging audience!" The boy with black locks replied.

The armed boy jetted across the plaza, passing stores, recreation facilities, and training facilities, and furthering from the tourist-crowded beach. The duo approached a massive, marble building, stretching across the town, lined with little windows from the many apartment buildings, restaurants, ballrooms, and auditoriums inside. The gargantuan center surrounded a roomy coliseum, with stands and boxes lining the inside of the rims. A giant, neon sign that was hung on it flickered on and off, with the words "Tropicoco Island Booth".

The boys entered through the automatic, stained-glass doors, and approached an ATM-looking machine. As he worked with it, the shorter one unmounted, and began to explore the titanic lobby. The walls and floor were built with a tangerine-died marble, glittering like the room was shoe polished. Various, fluffy carpets were pinned down by red couches, and the young child slumped onto one. He noticed a timid, pale lad with a hood sit onto a cushion a little farther away. The snow-white hair that showed looked like puffy, fluffy clouds. Under his cape, he wore a fancy, periwinkle button-up with puffed, short sleeves, and puffy shorts. The languid fairy boy ignored him just as soon as he noticed him, as his big brother strolled over and poked him. "Aw, Shammy! You're being a lazy fairy already? We have a myriad of training and battles ahead, don't forget!"

"I know! I was just bored of waiting for you!" Shammy rose to his feet with pep and continued, "You can be pretty slow, Dexter!"

"Oh, shush it, you!"

Dexter puffed his cheeks angrily as Shammy giggled. The pale boy approached the two without a noise, until he perked up with a friendly "Hey!". The siblings turned to him confused. His light blue irises lowered as the two boys gazed into them, and he murmured, "I hope I am not interrupting anything, but, I.. Never mind..! I'm sorry to bother!"

He quickly dashed away to the hall behind him, and through it to the ballroom, which was spotted on the rim with floors of dorms. Dexter and Shammy stared at each other, and shrugged it off. Dexter zipped up to their room, and dropped off their luggage, and dashed back to where Shammy was standing, and they headed off to the outdoors.

Dexter targeted a tunnel labeled "Gallant Gardens", but his fairy brother vigorously tugged on Dexter's armor. Catching his big brother's attention, he pointed to a tiny crack in the pavement. A spew of grotesque, purple haze and slime was oozing out of it, until it intensified, becoming a miniature volcano of the lavender goop and smoke. A small demon squeezed through, and lunged at passerby. It looked like a wisteria-colored bowling ball ghost, with little ear-bumps on the sides of its head. Its squiggly mouth and eyes were like pits, with a swirly gold and turquoise liquid slowly pushing around it. The gross purple slime dribbled from its mouth, all over the ground and victims, as it rapidly bit into them like a hungry mosquito. Soon, even more of the demons popped out of those mini-eruptions, and they terrorized the innocents in an alley. Dexter and Shammy approached the swarm silently, before Dexter attached his laser blaster to his left hand, and shot a few into the hungry pack. A couple were hit, and disintegrated. The rest, however, were distracted by the bright lasers, and they all smacked into Dexter. Shammy cupped his hands quickly, allowing two, blue flames to light up in them. The runes in his wings lit up in the same, vivid color, and many of the demons spontaneously combusted into azure flames. The remainder of the spirits sunk their teeth into Shammy's pudgy arms, and his big brother blasted them into history. Dexter searched around for those he and Shammy spared, but the victims seemed to have already fled when the main crossfire occurred.

"Big bro, what was that about?" Shammy cried out, "How come those weird, ghostie-things came out and went after those people?"

The pale boy from before strolled up, and lectured them, "Those mean spirits were demons! That type is in the impish category, called a Bakeneko Orbulus, or a Bakeneko Orb for short! What you just saw was a demon outbreak. The bad spirits found a doorway to our world, and they were feeding on flesh. Impish types eat flesh.."

"That was a demon outbreak..?" Dexter cringed, "Thankfully, no one was possessed.."

Shammy blinked, "Hey, you're the boy from earlier! What was with ditching us like that, huh?"

"I-I'm really sorry.. I got really anxious and took for the hills.. I apologize for being so rude.. Anyway, I can't really talk to either of you at the moment, but.. I bid you caution.. The demon outbreaks are getting worse around here.. Be careful.." And with that, the cloudy child dashed off yet again, leaving Shammy and Dexter in the dust.

Shammy clung to Dexter and began to have tremors, "Wait, did he say that was a demon outbreak!? The event in where a mass of bad spirits, from myths and stuff, come up and start feeding on people?! That's terrible.. I never wanted to see a real version of those.. And, I wish I never did.."

"Sadly, as NecroCombatants, we'll have to deal with tons of demon outbreaks.. But, we'll pull through, Sham!" Dexter cheered, as he stuck bandages on the bloodied marks in Shammy's arms.

"Whatever you say, Dexie.."

The pale boy slowed down in front of his suite's door, in the Tropicoco Island Booth. He unlocked the door, and crept inside. He closed the door by kicking it, and zoomed into the joint living room, kitchen, and bedroom with the boost. A cinnamon-haired boy lounged on the bottom bunk bed, and a dark-skinned girl was slumped onto the couch.

The peach-skinned boy with sandy locks was quite plump, with round, rosy cheeks. He had a fluffy mop of hair, styled to have little ear-like tufts, a cowlick, long sideburns, and to be fluffed out in the back. He toyed with a sapphire-plated crowns in his claw-like fingers. His finned, dragon ears twitched when he heard the other enter, and his fat, tan, dragon tail flipped. It had a cream bottom, had tan and cream, webbed dorsal fins on the top, and at the end was a fish tail. In this position, his copper jacket could not completely cover his torso, so his pudgy belly was exposed. However, his coffee-colored, key-patterned, baggy pants had no issue covering his legs, all the way down to his taupe boots. He shifted into a sitting position, unfolded his tan and cream wings, and stretched. He sharply shot a glance at the one entering, with his aquamarine eyes.

The girl on the couch was quite the opposite, with her chocolatey skin, and navy blue locks. Her hair was speckled with specks of cream hairs, making her frizz look like a galaxy. She also had white freckles that dotted her face, and gleaming, yellow eyes. She stretched her muscular arms and legs, as she turned her head to look at the arrival. The girl fixed her lapis vest, which covered her buff chest, before yawning, "Ah, you're back. What's the news on those suspects?"

"One of them, I'm not too sure. He was only using weapons, so I can't tell.. But, the other boy, the smaller one, was giving off a strong aura! And, he could use magic that was beyond the fairy kind!" the pale boy cheerfully exclaimed, as he pulled his hood off.

The draconic one on the bed giggled, "That's my Cirrus! You can identify monsters and magic better than anyone else! Most of all, you conquer my heart.. But, I must expect no less from the Prince of the Nimbuli Kingdom!"

Cirrus blushed, and covered his face, but the girl on the couch rolled her eyes.

"Can't you keep your romantic stuff for later? There's important business to discuss! Anyway, in response to what Cirrus was saying.. If he is indeed a fairy, he might think his Deity Magic is Fairy Magic. Or, he's just acting like it is fairy magic, but he knows the truth. Do you think he knows?"

The cloudy boy shook his head. "I don't believe so. If he knew, he'd probably be using actual fairy magic instead. As I said, the two are easily mixed up. There's a better chance that if he's still using deity magic, he has not a clue."

"First the two of you, now possibly two more deities? All of us coming together at this moment is almost like fate.." The galaxy-esque girl pondered aloud. "I wonder if we'll meet up with some other deities too.."

"I'm getting really interested in this duo of possible deception! Do you mind if I go and observe? I'm pretty sure the Prince of Justicia could handle this!" The draconic boy wagged his tail excitedly, as he leaped off of the bunk. "The only places they could be are in their suite, in the lobby, in the plaza, or at Gallant Gardens, right-o?"

"They were going off to the gardens! Keep a keen eye, Gale!"

"Will do, Cirrus!" Gale promised with a cheek peck.

Dexter kicked his legs calmly, as he lounged in a hole in a towering, palm tree. Shammy was playing under the tree, sniffing the flowers under it and playing with the tanukis and birds that made the tree their home. Around the trees roots grew a myriad of flower patches, with tons of exotic flowers and fruits growing in patches. Small openings in the treetops allowed the plants to bask in light. The trees themselves had fruits and berries growing in their leafy wombs, and beehives throughout. The air had the aroma of fresh produce, sugary honey, and sweet nectar. Springs spotted the forest floor, making it a vegetation paradise.

Gale slowly scaled the tree, and laid himself on a branch, a few feet above Dexter's lounging spot. He silently watched the two as he clutched the branch tightly with his claw-like nails. He scanned the environment around him with his teal eyes, before swinging down. He landed a few branches above Shammy, who was drinking sweet nectar he had collected from the local hibiscus. With a roar, the fairy boy squeaked and leaped onto a branch above him, disturbing its balance. As it shook, a beehive hanging on the edge dripped honey, and started to create a buzz. It got louder, and louder, until the beehive began to smoke like the cracks in the pavement did. Soon, the honey transformed into the gross, eggplant-colored slime, and it oozed onto the ground. Giant bees squeezed out of the hexagonal nooks and crannies. When five were all out and surrounding the boys, they began to slowly mutate into room-sized, grotesque creatures. They had overbearing, striped necks, leading to a head with antennae and pinchers. Their gold and lead bodies were lumpy and bumpy, and their wings were dank with dirty mildew. Protruding from their bodies were six, stick-like legs, curled where the paw would be. In place of a tail, they had shiny, metallic stingers. The mutants stalked the child and teenager hungrily with their shiny, orange bug-eyes. Dexter had noticed the phenomenon as it began, and he hopped down to guard his little brother. Gale aided with protecting the child, as he dug his claws into the ground. Tremors filled the area, as geysers rocketed up spontaneously, damaging the bee mutants, and impairing their flying ability. The bees made a circle around them, and they turned, stinger first. They bucked Gale and Dexter, making them bump heads and get knocked out. Then, they flung themselves at Shammy. He crouched down in the nick of time, and the stingers clashed with clinging noises. Shammy cupped his hands again, and the stingers lit up on fire. They melted and burnt the mutants. Dexter rushed in, slashing three of the creature's necks. Shammy burnt another mutant to crisps. The remaining enemy bucked Dexter into the tree, and as a new stinger grew on it, it prepared to fling into him. However, Gale quickly intercepted, by impaling it with another geyser, and surrounding it in a bubble of water. It drowned and disintegrated in the bubble, which popped upon the creatures disappearance.

The draconic boy snorted and smirked, "Looks like those bees couldn't take my honey-sweet skills!"

Dexter rose, rubbing his back. He gazed at Gale before perking up. "Thank you so much for helping out! Shammy and I probably would have been goners if you didn't swoop in.."

"No problem-o, friendomendo!" Gale grinned, "I'll keep you two safe from those demons! If you need me, just call for Gale!"

"Wh-what were those!?" Shammy cried, "They seemed like bees.."

"They're called Honeycrunchers. They are basically demon bees, and while they produce tons of honey, if disturbed, they'll go on a manhunt for the one who caused the disturbance. Unlike bees, though, they don't have queens. They just partner up to create a murder. Pretty nasty things, actually." Gale sighed.

Gale plucked the hive off of the branch, and he sliced it in half with his claws. He gave one half to Dexter, and put one half into his pocket. "Here, have some loot. You know, if you defeat a demon or pack of them, and they left behind their belongings, you should take it! It can supply you with food or drink, or you can get rare treasures to sell off. Maybe even equipment for battle."

Suddenly, the draconic teen shivered. He frantically searched around with his irises. A rustle in the treetops signified an escape, and Gale shrugged it off. He grabbed one of the Honeycruncher corpses, lifted it onto his back, and strolled away with a hum. "This will make some sweet roast!"

"Was Cirrus or Astro watching us? Why? What would that even accomplish? I was already there.." Gale thought to himself, troubled.

He opened the door to the suite, and lugged his prize in. Cirrus was relaxing on the top bunk, and he turned to Gale, who opened the door to the balcony. Him and the girl followed Gale outside, and the dragon set up the grill.

"Well? How did it go, pudgy punk?" the girl nudged Gale's shoulder.

"I still don't know about the cyborg, but I'm pretty sure that fairy is a deity. His flames were able to melt Honeycruncher stingers. It takes tons of flame power to reach that heat and intensity."

Cirrus clapped, "Fantastic work, sweetheart! We're getting closer to solving our little mystery! We're like detectives, almost!"

Gale licked his lips and wagged his tail as he glanced at the meat, which was getting toasty on the grill. He was a bit distracted as he half-heartedky asked, "Cirrus, Astro, were either of you at the scene?"

Both shook their heads, and Astro shrugged and sighed, "Why would we go? You had it handled, bud."

"You didn't come? Then.. why did I feel a presence watching me and them?"

"You felt like someone was stalking you?!" Cirrus gasped and grasped Gale's hand, "What if they are onto our case!? What if they want to stop us!?"

Astro shuddered, "You two are just overreacting, really! It's just innocent children pursuing friendship, what's wrong with that? Anyway, how many auras did you feel around you?"

Gale counted on his fingers. "I felt.. three."

"Three, huh.. Weird."

Cirrus blinked, "I don't think they know that you could feel their auras.. But thankfully, our deity abilities allow us to feel auras around us.."

"Here, let's just keep watch on our suspects, alright?" Astro rolled her eyes. "If we need to protect them for any reason, we'll just leap in and help."

Gale removed the roasted treat from the grill, and moved it to the table. He bit into his kill, as he nodded, "That sounds like a plan."

The cloudy boy's blue eyes sparkled, the scene in his eyes like stars were blazing in the daylight. He cheered, "That's a great idea! If they call for us through their thoughts, and they are deities, we can hear them! It's almost like an invisible beacon! You set this up perfectly Gale, even if it was unattended!"

The space-like girl growled, "You know way too much on this subject, that you can't shut up about it!"

"Sorry.. But, we'll need every detail we can to decipher our riddle.."

Shammy's head and arms drooped over Dexter's shoulders, as they traveled throughout the forest to the exit. Dexter leaped over roots that towered over his head. It was silent in the forest.. Every animal was napping at this time. Not a stir rustled the berry bushes, treetops, or flower patches.

Dexter reassured Shammy, "Don't fret, little one! We'll get back to our suite for your nappytime real soon!"

"I hope so.. Be a little faster about it, would ya?" Shammy whined, "You're so sloww.."

"You don't weigh as much as paper, Shammy.. You're pretty heavy! I can't go at mach speed with you mounted on board.."

The duo kept on their path for a few moments of silence, before snickers caught their attention. The giggling echoed throughout the air, and from a nearby cave, the purple haze arose. The craggy speleothems had the purple muck trailing down them, creating rivulets of slime. Out of the cave emerged a beast the size of a townhouse. It was a bear, mangy with spots of skin showing around the thick fur tufts. It's fangs were the size of a shark's, bloodstained, and out of them dropped the remains of its last meal. A lone, bare skull. It had robotic therizino claws and legs. Long, bronze spire-like spikes grew out of its back. Shammy screeched, and clung even more firmly to Dexter. Dexter cowered helplessly, his crimson eyes doused with fear.

"Oh no.. We're going to be that mutant ursine's dinner soon!" Dexter was struck speechless, and could only speak in his mind, "H-Help us! What was his name.. Guard us, Gale! We need aid as soon as possible!"


	3. Arc 1: Seaside Ambush

Gale's webbed dragon ears twitched, and he blinked curiously for a moment. Cirrus noticed Gale's attention being snagged by an invisible force. The cloudy child pinched his companion's cheek to grab his attention back, and he murmured, "What's wrong, sweetheart? Why did you take a trip to your imagination for a moment?"

"They called for me, Cirrus, Astro!" The draconic boy grasped the pale one's shoulders excitedly, "Those two were able to contact me through telepathy!"

Astro's interest was piqued, "They were able to contact you? Then it's inevitable! They've both got to be deities."

The draconic prince's expression sobered soon after, as he forbid, "But, they're in danger!"

"Well? Shouldn't we go, you know, aid them?" the cosmos-esque girl sighed, "I don't think we need to prepare too much. They don't seem that strong, so anything could endanger them, probably."

Cirrus had grabbed his dual katanas as the others were rambling, and already rushed out the door. Gale noticed his cloudy friend zoom out, and shouted, "Hey, scatterbrain! I didn't even tell you where they're at! Hey! Cirrus! Come back!"

When the other was way out of earshot, Gale tailed his companion furiously, "You dummy! Get your head out of the clouds, would you!?"

"Pathetic.." Astro sighed, and followed suit after Gale.

The small, black-clad cyborg guarded Shammy as he attempted to fire some blaster shots at the gargantuan bear demon. However, his twitching was too strong, making him miss most of his fires, and the shots that hit didn't even pierce the target.

"You know, Dexter, you can really stink with that blaster of yours!" Shammy sharply snarked.

Dexter growled playfully with a smile, "Why, thank you, snarkfest! Care to go on?"

Shammy snarled for an answer, before jumping over his big brother, cupping his hands, and lighting the bear on fire. The bear flinched for a second, but the damage was not massive by any means. The demon slashed the fluttering fairy as payback, sending him flying into a tree behind Dexter. The robot-boy dashed over to his kin, whilst the bear's mouth lit with a fire. After winding up, the fireball was shot, and hit Dexter square in the back, knocking him over. Dexter hugged Shammy, continuing to guard him as the bear stomped its way over. Tremors shook the ground, and the black clad boy could feel anxiety building up to a massive proportion, like a city of fear inside of him. Sweat rivulets streamed down his face, and the bear was winding up its claws for a devastating blow..

Above the bear's head, the leaves of the trees began to rustle intensely, and down dropped Gale and Cirrus. Astro swerved in, riding a crescent-shaped hover board like it was a body board, and flew around the demon's head. Her eyes flashed for a small moment, but not another flash occurred. She chucked a few, flaming, ninja star-esque blades, which sliced at the demon's skin. Gale landed on the nose, and pumped a blast of rapids at the monster's eyes. The monster withdrew with a screech, and Gale jumped off, landing in front of Dexter and Shammy to guard them. He sent a wave at the demon to damp its fur, also destroying the robotic parts along with the dampening.

"Get the KuraKuma while it's weak, sweetheart!" the dragon called to his lover.

Cirrus landed on the beast's back, clutching its fur, then answered with a giggle, "One step ahead, dear!"

With that call, the cloudy prince gathered electricity in the clouds on his arms, and shocked the demon. The spare electricity from the broken robot parts joined with the shockwave to form a massive blow. The KuraKuma collapsed to the ground, toasted to crisps.

"We're eating tonight!" Gale clapped and cheered, "With this much KuroKuma meat, we might be eating for a few!"

Cirrus's stomach grumbled, and he groaned, "We'd better be eating soon.. I'm really hungry.."

The tan-clad teenager poked his darling's cheek. "Of course you're hungry! You're always hungry!"

Astro picked up the injured brothers, and slumped them over her shoulders. She turned her shorter cohorts, who were collecting some of the meat and chatting, and rolled her eyes.

"Can't you two keep your married couple banter for when we get back to the suite? Goodness gracious.. You two are more of an inseparable pair than peanut butter and jelly. But, you two are so involved that you aren't even noticing anything going on around you!"

The two princes didn't hear a word of what she said, since they were too engaged with their chat. Astro shook her head, before grabbing the two of them, lifting them up, and carrying the four boys back to Cirrus and Gale's suite.

"I think that my point has been proven."

Astro plopped the two princes down on the couch, then placed Dexter and Shammy on the top bunk. She then took a seat on the bottom bunk.

"Well? You two have anything to say to those we just rescued? Or is your love life too essential at this very minute?"

Cirrus snarled, "Oh, would you shut your yapper, you sarcastic, space peasant?"

"Shh.. Cirrus.. Calm down.." Gale pat Cirrus's arm, then apologized, "Sorry, Astro. He can.. get like that."

The dragon prince turned to his guests with an embarrassed, rosy blush. "I apologize to you two as well! Sorry for bombarding you this whole day like we have so!"

"Ah, it's no problem!" chuckled Dexter, "I'm so grateful that you saved us.. I owe you three a bundle.."

Astro grinned as she cut in, "No need! You'll be paying us back with.. some business we have with you and.. your kin, I presume?"

"Brother!" the tiny fairy perked up, "But, what business, exactly? I don't wanna join anything.. risky or raunchy."

"Oh, it's nothing like that!" The draconic prince giggled, "You see, Cirrus here- Cirrus, sweetie, be nice and introduce, would you?"

A furious grumble from the cloudy prince in reply, who had his arms folded, and back turned. Gale laughed as he picked up where he left off, "He's a little moody right now, I apologize-"

"I'll kick you square in the sitter, cosmos creep!" Cirrus waved his fist angrily.

Astro hissed, "Oh, do you wanna have a NecroCombat here, shortie? Because, I'm glad to make the arrangements to teach your bratty snout a lesson or two!-"

Gale pulled a feral Cirrus back, then started to pet his hair to calm him down. Astro laid back with a snort, then Gale continued.

"As I was saying, my companion noticed you two back in the lobby. Us two already met up with Astro days ago, but we'll get to that. Cirrus felt your auras, your spiritual energy, and noticed it was much too strong for any ordinary Aero-Hyterrian creature! He's a bit shy, so before he could ask, he chickened out and took a run to me and Astro. He requested that we keep a watch on you two. Nothing strict or bad, of course!"

Shammy leaned over the bed fencing, wings twitching, as he asked curiously, "Why were you guys watching us?"

"Because, we think that you two.. No.. We've proven that you two are Neo Deities!"

"Neo.. Deities? Why does that ring a few bells, Dexter?" questioned the pixie with a head scratch and a blink.

Dexter smiled, "Neo Deities are like.. Aero-Hyterra's; our world's, new gods, in a way! They are born with a certain branch of concept, process, or entity to keep in balance, and have exceptional powers and immortality to keep things in check. The branch that they are born to protect is called a Necroment! They're almost like the world's ancient deities, without the mortality!"

"Ancient deities!" Shammy cheered, "I can name all eight of them! Izanagi, Izanami, Entigo, Zeus, Neptune, Galilei, Polaris, and Mountaine! They were around in the ancient times, the 2000s A.D., right?"

Gale congratulated the child, "Correcto, kiddo! Anyway, our trio was able to figure out that you two are Neo Deities yourselves, since you can use divine telepathy!"

Dexter shrugged, "Are you sure that we're deities? I mean.. Shams and I are just two, abandoned kids from the land bridge between Justicia and Yidalie. We were trained in the organization that helps out children like us.. How are anyone as ordinary as Shams and I.. a deity? Especially me, since.. I suffered from a nasty, genetic, non-communicable disease.."

"I dunno!" Gale chuckled, "It just sorta happens! Anyone could be a Neo Deity!"

"Cool! But.. what Necroments do we have, then?" The black clad hero inquired as he began to remove his uncomfortable armor, and reveal his soft, pillow-esque casing.

"No idea, friendo!" the draconic prince sighed, "If you don't know, you'll just have to see if it will be revealed.. Or, maybe an aura-trained deity could tell you. But, none of us are trained in that subject."

"I see.." Dexter responded softly.

Shammy yawned, "Enough with the side talk.. Could you tell us how the prince duo met up with Astro?"

Astro interrupted, "Well, we were all assigned a month before the cup we entered to investigate the demon outbreaks that have been occurring around Tropicoco Island. All three of us are well known deities, as you two know, I presume?"

"I love watching NecroCombats on the television with Dex, so of course I know you three stars! Cirrus is the dreamy, sky deity and prince of Atmospar! Gallennstrom is the Justician prince, water deity, and Cirrus's partner! And, Astro is the Eafeian, super cool, superhero-like, solo fighter of a space deity!" the fairy bounced up and down with excitement.

"Glad you know our handles, kid!" Astro chuckled, "Anyways, we're just.. business partners, I guess you'd say."

Gale silently nudged Cirrus, who mumbled, "Sorry, Astro.."

"No worries, shortie. However. Dex, Shams, we've got a special offer for you two. We're trying to rally up any Neo Deities that are here to aid us with these demon outbreaks.. Could you two join our ranks to take them down?"

"Totally!" Shammy heartedly agreed, and Dexter nodded silently.

Cirrus cheered, "Cool! Welcome aboard, you two! We'll let you go.. We've kept you here long enough! Good luck with your NecroCombats, and if you ever need anything from us.. Here!"

The cloudy boy grabbed two watch-like gadgets from a drawer near the bed, and slid them onto his new friends' wrists.

The hero with jet locks blinked and smiled as he cooed, "These are TaBops, those watch technologies! You can communicate to a group through holographic technology; store excess items; use a quick teleport to a set 'home'; and play that fun pet game, Digitomos, on it, right?"

"Yep, yep!" Cirrus answered, "I have a Daredrac Digitomo! His name is-"

Gale swooped in, "Back on topic, you two can communicate to us as a group through it, since divine telepathy can only be used to talk to one person at a time!"

Dexter and Shammy nodded, and Gale added, "Say, today's a great beach day! Any of you wanna go to the beach to snag some shells, beach crystals, and coral bits for some Crystal Spheres? Extra, spending dough isn't a bad thing to have, even if you're as prosperous as me and Cirrus!"

The brothers nodded again, in agreement.

Cirrus sighed, "Eh.. I'm hungry, still.. I'll go to the restaurant for some pick-me-ups!"

"I'm gonna tone up a bit! A good workout isn't a bad thing!" Astro shrugged as she denied the offer to the beach.

"Alrighty! Cirrus, please don't eat too much, okay? Gale cautioned, then shifting his attention to his new chums, "Come on, Dex, Shams! We're gonna have a field trip! Or, I guess you'd call this a vacation, since we're going to the beach!"

Him and Cirrus laughed, as the other three looked upon them with unamused glares, before everyone parted their ways.

The sun was setting into the oceanic horizon, creating tangerine sky, and a lake of bright, orange reflections. The beach was beginning to fill up with tourists and fighters, all of them crowding to watch the fireworks. Dexter and Gale, sitting near a dug-up hole, closely guarded their bucket of sea treasures, which was filled up to the brim. Shammy was napping next to his big brother, who had called the fairy over as the mobs flooded the beach. The two older boys were talking about their hobbies, and building sand castles.

"Hey, Gale.. I'm just curious.." Dexter tilted his head and asked, "How did you find such a perfect partner for yourself? You and Cirrus are a dream team, for sure.. I'm pretty envious of you two.."

The other grinned, "Oh, Cirrus and I met when we were babies! Could you believe it? Cirrus probably can't remember.. But, when we were tiny tots, he used to 'protect' me all the time! He would lay on me and keep me covered.. Our chemistry has been going on for a really long time.. We confessed years ago.."

"I see.." Dexter trailed off slightly.

"My snuggly lover and I are both autistic, so it was hard to make any friends.. But, since we're so similar, we're the picture-perfect, queerplatonic pair! There are some days were I don't want to separate at all from him! I-I get scared without him.. sometimes.. A bit embarrassing, I know.. I sometimes worry that I ask for too much attention from him.."

The crimson-eyed knight giggled, "I don't think so at all! It's just natural to want attention, especially the fact that you two have been together since a young age, and if you're mentally ill.. I know it.. I'm autistic too, among other things. But, you and Cirrus seem to have really stellar chemistry! I don't think he minds you staying close, in fact, I think he really loves it a ton!"

"Aw shucks.." the one with sapphire irises blushed with embarrassment, before lying back, laying his hands on his rather big tummy, and wrapping his tail around him like a blanket, "You think so? Well, Cirrus adores me a ton, and I adore him back.."

Dexter was enveloped by his thoughts, "I'm so envious of them.. I really wish I could manage a relationship like that.. But, I'm so forgetful and immature.. Even though I'm close to the age of maturity.. I still need Shammy's help to just remember my armor in the morning.. Also, I don't think anyone is really interested in me anyway.."

Suddenly, Gale shook Dexter by the shoulder, "Hey, bud! Snap out of it! Snap out of it!"

"Wh-What!?"

Gale pointed to the hole they were sitting near, and announced with concern, "Look at that pit!"

The hole let out a nasty stench, and a purple gas was arising from it. Dexter and Gale edged closer to peek inside, and it was filling up with the purple goo. Tons of giggling could be heard from the goop-filled abyss, then a blast of color took over the pit. The color began to move, and slither up the walls. The slimy, living color were three, giant, vivid, sea slugs. One was pink, one was blue, and the last was gold. Their backs were covered with the purple slime, which was bubbling and dripping from it.

Shammy, who had woken up while Dexter was ingrained in his thoughts, backed up and screeched, "Ewww! Those things are gross!"

"Conchcrushers!" shouted Gale, "Those nasty demons are armed with toxins, and a special bubble move! Be careful!"

Dexter made the first move, attacking the enemy trio with his blaster. Most of the shots missed again, but the fires that did hit seemed to be effective enough. He decided to land a combo on the pink one, by headbutting and punching its head. He pulled off his impact, but the pink countered by creating a big, magenta bubble, and butting it over to him. He got hit, and stuck in the bubble.

"I told you to be careful!" the draconic prince sighed as he shook his head.

Gale targeted the ocean nearby, and shot a rush of ocean water at the enemy slugs. Shammy lit them with his blue fire, then shed his wing scales to make spores. Soon enough, the blue and gold Conchcrushers were asleep, but the pink still had energy to fight, as it leaped up, and also trapped Shammy in a bubble.

"I didn't see that coming!" Shammy screeched, "What a dirty cheater!"

The pink slug woke its partners, and all three rushed at Gale with bloodthirsty intentions. The dragon gulped, and cowered to defend himself, whispering desperately for his lover. Dexter's robotic hands become surrounded in a white glow of light, when lasers shot from the sky and popped the bubbles. Now freed, the black haired boy dashed at the ravenous slugs, and shot some more fires from his blaster, making the gold and pink ones withdraw. The one that didn't with draw, blue slug, eyed Shammy, and went for the easier treat. But, Shammy lit all three slugs on fire again, and Gale rushed in to finish them off with pumped rapids. However, the slugs were still standing, and hungry.

"In the name of Itzal and Cthulhu, our leaders, you will be sacrificed and eaten for dessert!" The pink one screeched.

"Anyone who messes with the demons will be feasted on!" the blue one joined in, "You Neo Deities have been targeted by the demon army, and like it or not, will be dragged to our home, your living hell!"

The gold slug warned the others, "But, didn't you two just see that!? The red-eyed one just got out of our bubbles without a struggle!"

The pink slug trapped Shammy in a bubble again, as he jeered, "But, this one isn't getting out again!"

Dexter growled, "If you don't put him down, by goodness I will maul all three of you!"

The Conchcrushers all sneered at him and laughed, circling around Shammy's bubble, and prepared to feast upon the tiny fairy.

Dexter snarled at them furiously, beginning to be blinded by rage. The lasers shot down from the sky again, but they all were projectiles that he couldn't control. The sea slugs took impact, but so did Shammy and Gale, and they all took a lot of damage from the lasers. While the sea slugs were weakened, Shammy lit them on fire again, and Gale rushed forward, biting the pink one, then sending him flying at his cronies. The three slugs skid back in the sand, then melted into a puddle of purple goop, which seeped into the sand.

Dexter collapsed to the ground, as well as Gale and Shammy, and all three blacked out as the fireworks trailed in the sky, blasting into amazing displays, and rivaling the now-starry canvas behind them..


	4. Arc 1: Investigating the Seams

Dexter blinked, and struggled to get himself out of his lying position. The best he could manage was sitting. The fireworks were still lighting the sky ablaze with brilliant lights. The crimson-eyed boy wheezed and panted, his power drained. Gale and Shammy also arose into sitting positions, but they had more energy, so they got into the position much faster. Dexter began to lose the energy to keep himself up, so he thrusted his arms into the white sand to balance himself. His blonde brother edged closer, and put his hand out, in front of Dexter's face. Then triggered by his brother's nod, Shammy embraced him, and gave him some balance with a comforting hug.

"Goodness.. Are you okay, big bro?" Shammy inquired with a tone of obvious concern and a twitch of his fairy wings, "Those attacks of yours must have drained your power completely! You need a big nap after that.. What even were those attacks?"

"I have.. no.. idea.." Dexter wheezed, "I didn't even.. know I could do that.."

Gale crawled over, and plopped his plump self down next to the monochrome hero. "That move was definitely deity magic of some sort, and it managed to put a stun affliction on me and Shams! I'm intrigued!"

"Do you know.. what kind of magic that was..?" choked Dexter.

"Not a clue! But, it seems that you've discovered some sort of deity magic within you! And, I know! The first time it is activated, it's a real doozy! But, you can control it the second time, I promise!"

Gale's arm began to buzz, and sound a little jingle. He rolled his sleeve up, to reveal a tabop of his own. He tapped on it's screen, then questioned, "Cirrus? What's haps?"

A small, garbled giggle came from the gadget. "Hey, Gale.. urf.. I ate a whole five course meal, and I'm stuffed.. But, now I feel nauseous.. Could you aid me up here..?"

"Are you kidding me, Cirrus? You do this every time we travel.." The tan-clad boy shifted his gaze to his curious comrades with an irritated sigh, "Seems like my man pulled his typical card.. I'll have to go pick him up.. Can you two get to your suite alone?"

"I think so.." Shammy nodded, then pointed to the crackling above, "But, we'll just stick around here to watch the fireworks."

"Alright, sounds good. See you two around!"

And with that, the dragon prince sprinted away on the creamy sand, draconic tail wagging from side to side, and tan, fluffy hair flowing. The fairy turned to his older brother, who was already being awed by the flaming, vivid, reverse comets. Shammy laid his head on Dexter's lap, then shifted until he was in a comfortable position, and looked up. The fireworks shot up into the sky, then exploded into brilliant wisps of color.

Dexter smiled as he stated, "I love how the fireworks start out small and unpredictable, then they explode into a fantastic display, and surprise everyone with how stellar they are.."

"Maybe that'll be like me and you, Dexter!" the blonde giggled.

The cyborg shrugged with a grin. "Who knows? Anything's possible! We can go far some day, I mean, sky's the limit!"

The morning sun rays gleamed through the window panes, shining upon the fuzzy, cream carpet of the suite. Dove cooing could be heard from the outdoors, like a chorus, singing to the newly come day. The beams of light crawled onto Shammy's long eyelashes, and were caught by his blue irises when they blinked open. He had to force them shut from the brightness, so he sat up, and turned away to the kitchen and door before opening his eyes again. With a smile and a stretch, he climbed up the bunk bed ladder, and shook he sleepy pre-teen by his fuzzy pajamas until he awoke. Dexter stretched out, and as he did, bopped Shammy right in the nose with his bionic knuckles.

"Ouch! Watch it, Dex!"

Dexter sat up rapidly, and rubbed Shammy's nose with a guilty smile. "Sorry, Shams! I didn't know you were right there.. Anyways, good morning! A cheer to hope that today won't be as active as yesterday was!"

"Oh, geez!" Shammy growled playfully, "Now that you said that, today will probably even worse! You should've kept your mouth shut!"

The older lad rolled his eyes with a sunny grin, as he descended down the ladder, and strolled over to the small, kitchen corner. He pulled out ingredients from the fridge, then poured each into the bowl with a hint of mastery, like it was his daily routine. The fairy boy hopped onto the bar stool with a wing flutter, and spun around on it, awaiting his prizes. Dexter caught his little brother spinning, and held Shammy's head down a bit to stop the twirling.

"Hey, hey! You don't want to lose your appetite already, do you?"

After his lighthearted scolding, he continued working his magic, whipping, stirring, flipping, until he served up his little brother with three, fresh, hot, vanilla-chip pancakes. Before Shammy could chomp on his treats, Dexter sprayed them with whipped cream, and placed a juicy cherry upon each cream rosette. When the pajama-clad fairy confirmed that his elder brother was finished, he began to scarf down his breakfast ravenously. Dexter reached into the fridge to snag himself a pop, and drank to fuel himself, like it was his version of a meal. When both finished, Dexter fit on his striped armor, Shammy buttoned up his tunic, and both were off by piggyback. Dexter dashed down the hallway, and up the stairs to the floor where Cirrus and Gale's, and Astro's suites were. He skidded in front of Cirrus and Gale's suite's door, before knocking a couple of times. Shammy unmounted, then pounded on the door with frustration. Dexter pulled him back fearfully, then they waited a bit. When no response came, the fairy leaned in to bang the door again, but the licorice-haired boy pulled him back yet again.

"Don't bust the door down! They're probably not home!"

"Sorry.." Shammy whined, "But, why didn't they come get us?"

Dexter shrugged. "They have their own activities to engage in, probably! They'll call us if we're needed. Why not we go check in with Astro?"

"Oh yeah! Astro might be available, she'll explore with us!" the fairy cheered, then pointed to the door of the neighboring suite, "And look, she lives right next door to Cirrus and Gale!"

The pink-clad youngster excitedly pounded on the door to Astro's abode, which was answered with an opening and a chuckle.

"Chill out there, shortie! What's the big rush? Is your suite on fire or something?"

Shammy blushed with embarrassment, and shuffled his feet. "We were just wondering.. If you wanted to come explore with us today.. I was just excited that you might say yes..!"

"Why wouldn't I? It's my job to explore, you goofball!" Astro ruffled the boy's blonde hair playfully, "It's a good chance to go demon patrolling too."

The trio began their stroll to Gallant Gardens, chatting and bantering on their way.

Dexter tugged on Astro's belt, and questioned, "Say, when will the tournament begin? I've been itching to see the arena, but it's closed, due to the tournament not being ready.."

"A few days. There's still some open registering spots, and they need to be filled. I promise it'll begin soon, and when it does, I'll smash you two into oblivion." boasted their speckled-haired friend.

Shammy smugly snorted in reply, and Dexter giggled at the display of confidence from the little one, whose head barely surpassed the superstar's chest. The short fairy puffed his cheeks when he realized his lack of height, and rose on his tiptoes. Astro smirked, and pushed down on Shammy's head, making him lose his extra, toe-induced height. After the fiasco, the crew continued on their path to the gardens through the dry streets, and cracked into laughter.

Cirrus lit the entrance to the cave-like hole, and the shiny stalagmites protruding from the rim, with tiny sparks in his cupped hands. The sparks jumped from the cup with energy and liveliness, the same kind that their creator had. The cloudy prince whisked his head impatiently, back and forth, searching for something within the dark abyss. Gale was crawling nearby, scouring the land, digging his fingers into the sand, and observing the day lit ocean. The cave of suspicion was a coral color, lined with sea shells and tidal pools galore, and the path leading into it was of sand.

"Gale, are you sure you spotted BakeNekos floating around here? Not your imagination or anything?" Cirrus turned to the other, "I don't see any telltale signs in sight! I don't even see their signature, grimy calling card. There's not even one drip of lavender goop.."

The tan-clad prince whined, "Yes, Cirr, I definitely saw the buggers zipping their way around here! The snots were even checking to make sure neither of us were going after them!"

"Them checking to see if we were onto them doesn't mean that they're actually there, you dimwitted dragon!" Cirrus teased Gale in jest.

Gale shrugged, "Well, it's still more realistic then them not checking!"

The fluffy prince rolled his eyes with a groan, as his sweetheart grabbed his shoulders. Icy blue irises met with sapphire ones.

"Cirrus, let's just go and check out the cave!" Gale suggested with an adventurous grin.

"It's too risky!" The cloudy prince shook the draconic one violently, "Didn't you claim that this only appears during low tide, and is filled with water when it's not? What if we get injured and trapped by water? Or we drown?"

"Don't be a baby! It's just a little H2O! It isn't gonna hurt us, and that's if the tide does rise again, anyway!"

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Gale.." warned the cloudy prince, cautiously.

Gale puffed his cheeks with frustration, and pouted, "Cirrus, I'm the water deity! Managing water isn't just some sort of careless hobby for me! It's my job! Don't worry about me like you do, because I can definitely handle it. I handle water all the time. If we get in some sort of danger, I can easily paddle us out. Trust me, please.."

"I don't trust you, Gale.. You always see illusions, and you always judge books by the cover-"

The draconic prince snatched up Cirrus's hand, and furiously stomped in, dragging his companion along. "I'm not gonna listen to your worrying right now! We have a demon extermination job to perform!"

As the trio trudged through the muck, Dexter and Shammy kept trying to clean their boots. Astro kept sighing or rolling her eyes at their attempts, until she was finally fed up with their antics.

"Can you two chill? You city slickers can clean your boots later. Don't be such babies about a little dirt."

Dexter grunted, and Shammy snapped, "Oh, shush! I don't want this wet stuff on my cute boots!"

Something triggered a jump from Astro, making the boys withdraw quickly. The speckled-haired one groaned, "Don't be such cowards. Something just struck me as odd."

"What is it?" Dexter asked curiously.

"The ground in Gallant Gardens is usually dry, like sand that's closer to the land, which is where these palm trees live. It shouldn't be wet unless there was rain recently," Astro pointed out, "Yet, if I'm correct, it didn't rain at all last night."

The fairy boy added in to the conversation. "Yeah, that's right. It was clear when Dexter and I were awake, and if there had been rain, there would have been puddles within town. But it was completely dry, no puddles in sight!"

"So, why then.." Astro pondered aloud, "Is it wet?"

The trio looked at each other questionably, before examining their surroundings. Dexter tugged on Shammy's sleeve, and Astro's belt when he caught sight of a peculiar happening. A tree, not to far from the crew, was dripping with pink, blue, and gold ooze from different sides, with some hints of dried-up purple goop. The freckled, buff NecroCombatant scratched the dried, lavender slime.

"There were demons around here.. Not too recently, but probably hours ago. Also, what is.. this slime?"

Astro caught some of the oozing, wet, colorful slime on her fingers, and shifted her gaze to her partners. "Any ideas?"

The black-haired lad blinked as he stared upon the sample. "It looks like those sea slug demons we fought yesterday. They had colors just like that!"

"You mean Chromolochi? But that's impossible!" Astro scowled, "Chromolochi live on beaches, not in forests. They need the ocean for their livelihood, so they wouldn't live around here.. The appearance of their slime would be quite queer.."

Shammy looked up, and stated, "Hey, the slime is oozing down from all the way up the trunk! Maybe they're up there!"

Astro thought to herself quietly for a moment, before nodding. Dexter caught sight of a vine with his red eyes, and walked over to the housing, nearby palm tree. A vine was dangling down from it, and he was able to rip it from the source with minimal force. Astro realized his idea, so she took out one of her throwing stars, then wrapped the vine around it. The fairy boy just gazed at them, confused. When she tied the knot, Astro tossed the newly made anchor. It landed close to the top of the tree, spinning around for extra closure. Then, the daring star began to climb up the vine. Dexter and Shammy watched her scale the leafy rope with awe at her masterful climbing abilities. Astro reached the top in no time, and was awestruck for a moment. She thrust herself through the leafy ceiling, and spun herself around the trunk.

The blonde youngster called out to her, with a twitch of his spindrift wings, "You alright up there? What's going on?"

Astro lowered herself down a bit, and declared, "There's a canopy up here. And it seems like it was occupied by some demons."

She climbed up, through the leafy rooftop, and unwrapped her anchor. Then, she threw it at Dexter and Shammy. The brothers cowered fearfully as the anchor wrapped around the two of them. Astro started to pull them up, which required some energy, due to the overbearing weight of Shammy's girth, and Dexter's robotic body. However, even though she struggled a bit, she still pulled them all the way up with admirable power.

Dexter and his little brother observed the canopy. Vines were weaved, basket style, to make an almost hammock over the palm leaves of the smaller trees. The taller palm trees had the edges of the vine quilts secured around them. Bits and pieces of meat, and stains of blood from the meat, painted the large hammock's floor. This trashy sight made Dexter grumble in disgust, and Shammy gag in complete distaste. Astro seemed used to this sight, and was unaffected. The other prominent things on the floor were puddles of the vivid slime, and more dried goop. Through the tree openings, one could see Tropicoco Island Booth, the beach, and a volcano far off in the distance.

The navy haired lass got into a crawing position, clutched the woven vines, and announced, "Hand-woven vines. Obviously not a natural occurrence.."

Then, Astro grabbed one of the bitten up remains, and sparked her to knit her brows. "Salt water fish? How could these end up here.. Unless the Chromolochi were here.."

Shammy questioned, "So, the sea slugs were here after all?"

"They sure were.. Here, let's collect some samples of everything. We can bring it back to Byron, and we'll all figure out the event that happened up here. Seeing how dry the demon ooze is, it was probably early in the morning, around dawn. Take these."

The chocolate-skinned NecroCombatant strapped gloves on the other group's member's hands, and handed them jars, and they all collected the scraps left behind. One of Dexter's findings was a bone, and upon closer observation, was a dog bone. He tilted his head, but shrugged it off, and placed it in the jar. When the squad was finished collecting enough samples, they headed for the small hole to return to town. But, they were halted on their path, by hissing. They all turned around, and shadowing them was a pack of hungry, furious BakeNekos.

It had taken Gale some reassurance and manipulation, but he had gotten Cirrus to make a lantern out of his sparks for their small journey through the cave. They walked through the stalagmite filled cave in silence, as they focused on their surroundings. Gale was armed with a rather large stalagmite, which he was sharpening as they walked through the sticky sand of a floor. Water droplets could be heard plopping upon the floor's rock formations. Suddenly, both of them stopped walking, and their stomachs growled ravenously.

"Cirrus, we haven't eaten all day.." The tan-clad dragon whined.

"No dips, rich fish.. But, should we really take a break now?"

Gale chuckled, "Why are you so worried? It's fine! A small stop for a lunch break isn't gonna kill us! Just relax, take a bite of a sandwich!"

He reached into his pockets, and pulled out a fresh sandwich. Cirrus impulsively grabbed the treat, and munched on it hesitantly. Gale ate his sandwich cheerfully, and finished quickly. He pat his stomach with satisfaction, and Cirrus giggled a bit, finally settling down. The cloudy prince's giggles triggered Gale to laugh too. Their joy was their mistake though, as four, gleaming, red spots appeared in the dark shroud before them. The duo's attention was captured by the tremors that the two creatures in front of them made as they stomped. Two rock golems appeared from the shroud, and cracked their boulder-like, huge knuckles. Then, they lunged at the partners bloodthirstily, attempting to crush them under their weight. The lunge successfully trapped Gale and Cirrus under the golems.


End file.
